Beacon2Light

Rob Bell and the Controversy over Hell - Blog - Eternal Perspective Ministries Those who have read from my blog for a while know that I absolutely love Randy Alcorn's book, If God is Good. On his blog, Randy Alcorn links to some of the best reactions on Bell that I have read up to this point. I love that it is all conveniently in one place while I have chased them around a bit before this. Enjoy. Waterbrook Multnomah posted this quote and the link above on Facebook: ‎"We may pride ourselves in thinking we are too loving to believe in Hell. But in saying this, we blaspheme, for we claim to be more loving than Jesus—more loving than the One who with outrageous love took upon himself the full penalty for our sin." - Randy Alcorn, "If God Is Good"

One of my all-time favorite songs sung by the original artist. "In 1985 Benny Hester recorded Benny From Here. It was this album that produced one of the top ten singles in the history of Christian music, “When God Ran”. This song made an immediate impact on radio and quickly became a number one hit. “When God Ran” went on to become the longest running number one song of all time." http://www.cbn.com/cbnmusic/Artists/Hester_Benny.aspx

Chapter five begins very oddly . . . with Eminem. I guess when an author plays fast and loose with Scripture, references to pop culture to prove one’s point shouldn’t be all that surprising. Bell recalls that around 2005, Eminem disappeared off of the public radar. His comeback tour began in 2010 in his native Detroit and Rob Bell was there (I will resist the urge to comment on the incongruity of a minister at an Eminem concert). Perhaps it was the intoxication of being in a place packed with 40,000 fans but Bell was taken in by the image on the big screen of Eminem wearing . . . wait for it . . . a cross! I guess you know where this is going. He then writes at some length on the ubiquitous nature of the cross in modern culture. It is everywhere. Then reminiscent of his Gandhi in hell comments earlier, Bell theorizes that perhaps Eminem found out something (p. 136). I guess this something is the Bell version of an epiphany or a salvation experience. “Did Eminem stumbl...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42248810/ns/us_news-life/

Note: I AM Second erred in crediting Bethany with winning the NSSA World Championship. She won the 2005 National Championship. No small feat for a young teen, esp. one with a missing arm after such a trauma.

Before I start, I want to make clear something from an earlier blogpost. I wrote of future events from a premillennial, dispensational perspective. By no means am I implying that is the only orthodox position. I will leave it to others who comment to give other orthodox perspectives, if they wish. My issue with Bell is not orthodoxy but what I view as error and obviously many godly, conservative Christian scholars agree with that assessment. Our differences over orthodox doctrine are within the family. We believe that Bell’s is outside of orthodoxy. The title of chapter four reveals the depth of Rob Bell’s misunderstanding. God would love for everyone to come to a knowledge of the truth and be saved by faith in Jesus. However, even as Bell acknowledges, a loving God will not force anyone. Therefore, He provided the natural revelation of who He is and special revelation through the transmission of the Bible, visions, dreams, miracles and ultimately and most spectacularly t...

Note: the numbering system is from the Kindle version of the book. If you don’t have a Kindle for PC version, the numbers are probably useless to you. The chapters are clearly marked and as best as possible, I try to answer his arguments in the order they are presented. According to Matthew 25:41, Hell is a place prepared for the Devil and his angels. The reason is that they rebelled against God. In v. 41, we are told that the “cursed” will be separated from God by being cast into everlasting fire. The greater context of this verse begins in v. 31. It is not a parable Jesus told (story using earthly objects to explain spiritual truth). Instead, it is truth about His coming. When He comes, with His holy angels, we call this the Second Coming of Christ, He will sit on His throne and judge the nations. From other passages we learn that, before the return of Jesus, the Church will be taken away by Him in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:13-18) since God is about to judge the Earth...

In this chapter, I see Bell as mocking the traditional idea of heaven and coming up with his own vision of heaven. Again, the numbers presented are the Kindle for PC numbers. If you don’t have this book in that form, the numbers are meaningless. Chapters are identified and my thoughts are divided accordingly to ease the recognition of the location of these discussions from Bell’s book. To begin with, in location 331 he mocks the idea of white robes in a place that is “somewhere else.” “Does anybody look good in a white robe? How could it be heaven without sports? What about swimming? What if you spill food on the robe?” Somehow, I don’t think God or the Apostle John found the images of white robes in the place of future reward as either particularly funny or something with which to feel uncomfortable. Apparently, the angel at the tomb looked good in white (Matthew 28:3). Jesus looked pretty good in white, I am sure, on the Mt. of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2-4). Revelatio...

I am certain that there are people scratching their heads thinking, “What is a guy doing reading a book for and about ladies struggling with eating disorders?” To be honest, the reason I am reading and thus reviewing it is that I understood very little about this problem afflicting so many people. As a pastor, husband, father and friend, I wanted to know more about this area that impacts so many people, including, perhaps, someone I love or with whom I have contact. Like many, I assumed that anorexia and bulimia were the extent of eating disorders and that bulimia involved a person eating too much and then hanging his/her head over the toilet to purge it. Not surprisingly, I found out there is much more too it. Through this book, I learned how much I didn’t know. For instance, there aren’t just eating disorders but disordered eating. Whenever we think of food as more than fuel or nutrition for the body, it is given a place that it doesn’t deserve in our lives. This is a proble...

Rob Bell’s Love Wins: My thoughts on the preface and chapter one (13% of the Kindle version of the book). Note: I am reading the Kindle version of the book, so the location numbers are only helpful to those with a Kindle version. Otherwise ignore them. The following is from the preface until I get to the point of letting you know the comments are from my reading of chapter one. I welcome your input. Preface “That’s the story. ‘For God so loved the world . . .’ That’s why Jesus came.” On the surface it looks good but when you realize what Bell teaches in totality, you are bothered that he stops there at the verse. The rest of the verse is equally important: “That whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Bell claims that Jesus’ story has been hijacked by a number of other “stories” that Jesus “isn’t interested in telling because they have nothing to do with what he came to do. The plot has been lost and it’s time to reclaim it.” Locati...

My first e-book that I read was Greg Gilbert's "What is the Gospel?" This is a fabulous summary of the thinking from many sources as to why Hell is an essential part of the Gospel. Read it and see if you agree. Feel free to comment.